Title : Health literacy and diabetes self-efficacy
Abstract:
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic illness affecting blood sugar and can contribute to poor quality of life without the proper knowledge and management. The aim of the study was to investigate how assessing the health literacy level along with implementing diabetes education improves self-efficacy and fasting blood sugars in diabetes patients. The need for health literacy is great in the proposed area due to over 300,000 Americans diagnosed with diabetes in the state of Mississippi. A transtheoretical approach was used for this study to determine readiness to change and evaluate changed behavior during adversity. The sample included both male and female participants (N= 14) who have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The participants joined the diabetes self-management course which was ongoing at a rural clinic in Canton, MS, after provider suggestion. The study took place from late December 2023 to March 2024. The measurements: weight, blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar were recorded weekly during each class meeting. The Short Assessment Health literacy tool is an 18-question tool that was used to determine participant literacy level. Anyone who scored below a 14 were seen to have low literacy. The Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire Revised 27, was used in the study as a pre and post survey to evaluate each participant’s perception of their diabetes. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS by frequencies, percentages, paired samples t-test, and Cronbach’s alpha. After analyzing the results, participant’s weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar improved with the education in areas of coping, blood glucose monitoring, physical activity, health eating, and yearly screenings. Data showed a positive correlation between pre- and post-questionnaire scores r (14) = 0.95, p-value <0.001. Also, within Cronbach’s alpha, the DSMQR-27 is shown to have positive reliability. In conclusion, it is important to know the health literacy for patients with diabetes, therefore, providers can provide education that is suitable and personalized. Proper self-efficacy develops from practicing healthy eating, physical exercise, and glucose monitoring. Raising awareness to diabetes and encouraging patients to partake in their care will help decrease health related issues such as diabetic retinopathy, stroke, or neuropathy.
